San Francisco librarian chosen for national public service honor
Lia Kharis Hillman recipient of the prestigious 2016 I Love My Librarian Award

NEW YORK – Today Lia Kharis Hillman, fourth floor program manager at the San Francisco Public Library, was named a winner of the I Love My Librarian Award. Hillman is being recognized for her exceptional contributions to the community and ongoing commitment to transforming lives through education and lifelong learning. Hillman is one of only 10 librarians in the country this year to receive this national honor. Two additional librarians from California are also recipients of the 2016 award: Olga Valencia Cardenas from Modesto and Sherri Ginsberg from Pasadena.

Hillman is commended for her ability to extend the role of the library to meet the needs of the community.

Hillman, a former chef, established a garden and food education program in library branches across San Francisco. When Hillman realized underserved families were facing challenges with cooking, she set out to help residents make the connection between self-prepared meals and wellness.

Through a grant, she purchased Biblio Bistro, a mobile kitchen cart on wheels to give demonstrations on cooking with inexpensive and locally grown foods. Hillman’s cooking lessons teach lifelong skills and build nutritional awareness, giving people more confidence about food preparation.

To help children gain hands-on experience growing vegetables, Hillman built a garden on one of the library’s patios. She also started a seed lending library that residents can use to start their own gardens.

Hillman will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception held this evening in New York City. The ceremony is hosted by Carnegie Corporation of New York, which co-sponsors the award along with The New York Public Library and The New York Times. The American Library Association administers the award through its Public Awareness Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

San Francisco Public Library Welcomes Back Patrons and Materials During Fine Forgiveness Program

San Francisco Public Library will offer a Fine Forgiveness program from Jan. 3 to Feb. 14, 2017. During this six-week period, late fees will be waived on all returned books, CDs, DVDs and other materials, regardless of how long overdue.

The fine forgiveness program is an opportunity for residents to reconnect with their library. The program allows the Library to recover materials and gives patrons with overdue items a clear record. The program aligns with the Library’s commitment to eliminating barriers to service and providing basic access for all San Franciscans, especially those most in need of library services.

The amnesty period was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “We are hoping that Fine Forgiveness program will be successful in helping us not only reduce outstanding fines but also bring back folks that we want to be able to use the library,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “The Library’s fine forgiveness campaign supports the values of equity and inclusion that mirror San Francisco’s values.”

When SFPL last offered an amnesty program in 2009, the Library received more than 30,000 overdue items, waived $55,000 worth of fines and welcomed back thousands of patrons.

“We look forward to welcoming back residents of all ages and to connecting them to one of San Francisco’s greatest resources.” said Michelle Jeffers, Chief of Community Programs and Partnerships.

San Francisco Public Library provides traditional library services and 21st century resources, including access to computers, the internet and digital skill building. The diverse range of programming for kids, teens, and adults is focused on free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning and the joys of reading.

The main One City One Book event on Oct. 6, will feature an engaging and lively conversation with author Carey Perloff who will talk about the importance of live theater in society and of studying the arts in education at the San Francisco Main Library’s Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco. She will be on stage with Donn Harris, the executive director of Creativity and the Arts for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). Harris, the former executive director of Oakland School for the Arts, and former principal of the acclaimed Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) has returned to SFUSD to help realize the citywide dream of building out the district’s ArtsCenter in the Civic Center corridor.

Both Perloff and Harris are tremendous and bold visionaries who have built lasting institutions dedicated to the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. And both have a no-holds barred approach to expounding on their passions for the arts and for San Francisco, which is sure to make for an exciting on-stage event.

Join City Guide’s theater guide David Rachleff on a guided tour of San Francisco’s legendary theaters in the downtown area. Meet at the entrance to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Misison St.

Imprint City & Stage Coach – Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., Imprint City, 1439B Egbert Ave., San Francisco. Join us at Imprint.City for a panel discussion with A.C.T.’s Community Artistic Director Tyrone Davis, Bayview actress, Mary L. Booker and performers from A.C.T.’s Education and Community Programs involved in A.C.T.’s Stage Coach program, which developed and performed Crack. Rumble. Fly: The Bayview Stories Project, a play inspired by Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Panelists will discuss the creative process and the vital relationship between theater and community in a conversation moderated by Rhodessa Jones.

A.C.T. Costume Shop Tour – Oct. 5, 2 p.m. Meet at the Main Library Atrium. A.C.T.’s costume shop is a hive of energy and creative output where costumes are built, stored, and rented out for stage plays, musicals, and other theatrical types of events. At the costume shop you can see the diverse array of tools used by our artists to create complex and historically accurate period costumes. Visitors will meet in the Main Library atrium and walk together to the Costume Shop on Market Street.

An experience that brings San Francisco performing arts history to your fingertips. Get a close-up show-and-tell with San Francisco history through original manuscripts, newspapers, and photographs which document the city’s performing arts. A special highlight will be broadsides of Joseph Rowe’s 19th century circus, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. This exclusive program takes place within the San Francisco History Center and is limited to 30 participants. The behind-the-scenes event is led by our knowledgeable archivists, who will guide the tour of documents with anecdotes and San Francisco trivia while guests hold San Francisco’s treasured documents. Photography is welcomed and encouraged during the program. Pre-registration is requested, with limited space for walk-ins. Reserve your spot on Eventbrite.

Hear from San Francisco Chronicle theater critic, Lily Janiak, San Jose Mercury News theater critic Karen D’Souza and more, in a lively discussion about the state of Bay Area live theater, moderated by Theater critics tell all panel: moderated by Larry Ellenberg, Ph.D., professor in the School of Theater & Dance at San Francisco State University.

Perloff has penned a lively and revealing narrative of her 20-plus years at the helm of A.C.T., and delivers a provocative and impassioned manifesto for the role of live theater in today’s technology-infused world. Beautiful Chaos, published by City Lights Press, highlights Perloff’s personal and professional journey—her life as a woman in a male-dominated profession, as a wife and mother, a playwright, director, producer, arts advocate, and citizen in a city erupting with enormous change—is a compelling, entertaining story for anyone interested in how theater gets made. She offers a behind-the-scenes perspective, including her intimate working experiences with well-known actors, directors, and writers including Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Robert Wilson, David Strathairn, and Olympia Dukakis. Whether reminiscing about her turbulent first years as a young woman taking over an insolvent theater in crisis and transforming it into a thriving, world-class performance space, or ruminating on the potential for its future, Perloff takes on critical questions about arts education, cultural literacy, gender disparity, leadership and power.

About Carey Perloff:

Perloff, who is celebrating more than 20 years as the artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), is also an award-winning playwright and teaches and directs in the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts program. A recipient of France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the National Corporate Theatre Fund’s 2007 Artistic Achievement Award, Perloff received a B.A. Phi Beta Kappa in classics and comparative literature from Stanford University and was a Fulbright Fellow at Oxford. She is also a proud mother of two.

Visit sfpl.org/onecityonebook for more information about programs, book club discussion questions and more, and start reading the book now.

In recognition of the cultures and peoples stemming from the Middle East who reside here in the Bay Area, a wide variety of programs for all ages and exhibitions will be presented in August, September and October. Programs include lectures, films, cooking demonstrations, performances, music, games and more at the Main Library and branches, with select programs offered at multiple locations.

Adult Programs (selected):

You Are Under Arrest for Masterminding the Egyptian Revolution. Ahmed Salah, co-founder and leader of street activists, discusses his book and the growth and failures of the Egyptian opposition.

Sept. 7, Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Rooms, 6 p.m.

Sept. 17, North Beach Branch, 1 p.m

Sept. 24, Parkside Branch, 2 p.m.

The History and Art of Bellydancing with the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance

The program explores the history and evolution of belly dance and discusses the various styles, including a live demonstration.

Sept. 10, West Portal Branch, 2 p.m.

Sept. 17, Richmond Branch, 1 p.m.

Arab Street Food by Reem

Vendor Reem’s will give a talk on Middle Eastern street food and the chefs who have inspired them, including a tasting of their breads and dips.

Sept. 25, Mission Branch, 2 p.m.

Sept. 7, Main Library, Latino/Hispanic, 6 p.m.

Sept. 17, North Beach Branch, 1 p.m.

Sept. 24, Parkside Branch, 2 p.m.

Film Screening: Caramel– Discussion will follow this screening of Caramel (2008), in which friends and employees of a ramshackle beauty salon in Beirut look for love and romance.

Sept. 10, Golden Gate Valley Branch, 1 p.m.

Exhibitions

Home Away from Home: Little Palestine by the Bay, curated by Najib Joe Hakim, opens in the Main Library’s Jewett Gallery on Aug. 27. The exhibition includes multimedia histories as well as black and white photo portraits of 27 individuals from the Bay Area’s Palestinian American community, the second largest community in the U.S.

Home Away from Home – Main Library, Jewett Gallery, Aug. 27 – Nov. 27

Related Programs:

Opening event: Curator Najib Joe Hakim will discuss his work and the ties and aspirations of the Bay Area Palestinian American Community. Aug. 28, 1 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: In Defense of Culture features the work of 50 artists and print makers from around the world, who created their works in commemoration and solidarity to support the booksellers in Baghdad, whose lives and others were irrevocably changed by a car bomb set off in their street in 2007.

Opening Event:Art as Activism, Art as Memorial. Five artists from the exhibition, including Art Hazelwood and Kahlil Bendib, will speak on the use of art for memorializing loss and activating resistance. Sept. 25, 1 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Alison Faith Levy is known for her lively and interactive program of original tunes that get young children and families dancing and singing along.

Sept. 13, Anza Branch, 10:30 a.m.

Sept. 15, Noe Valley Branch, 4 p.m.

Sept 20, Sunset, 10:30 a.m.

Sept. 24, Marina Branch, 11 a.m.

Sept. 27, North Beach Branch, 10:30 a.m.

Arabic Dance with Heaven Mousalem

Arabic dance, also known as belly dance, balady or raqs sharqi, is one of oldest dance forms in the world.

Sept. 6, Presidio Branch, 11 a.m.

Sept. 15, Eureka Valley Branch, 3 p.m.

Sept. 22, Parkside Branch, 10 a.m.

Sept. 23, Mission Bay Branch, 4 p.m.

Sept. 30, Golden Gate Valley, 3 p.m.

Middle Eastern Cooking with Arezoo Fakouri

Bay Area cook Arezoo Fakouri loves cooking with flavors and ingredients from her native Iran and experimenting with other Middle Eastern flavors as well. For children 8 and up.

Sept. 25, Ortega Branch, 3:30 p.m.

Persian Dance Performance with Shahrzad Dance Company

Join Shahrzad Dance Academy in an engaging and education program on Persian Dance, an ancient art form shrouded in mystery.

Sept. 22, Bayview Branch, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 22, Chinatown Branch, 4 p.m.

Sept. 24, Excelsior Branch, 11:30 a.m.

Sept. 24, Merced Branch, 2 p.m.

Teen Programs (selected)

Henna Garden Workshop

Henna Gardens is a Middle Eastern owned company that teaches the history and art of henna. Henna tattoos will be provided!

Sept. 10, The Mix at Main, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 12, Portola Branch, 3:30 p.m.

Middle Eastern Snack Trials

You may know pita, hummus and baklava…now let’s try some of the other tasty snacks of the Middle East. For tweens and teens, ages 10 – 18.

Sept. 7, Western Addition Branch, 4 p.m.

Film Screening, Koran by Heart

A global contest reading of the Quran by young Muslim children that takes place in Cairo, Egypt annually during Ramadan tells a coming of age story about Muslim kids in modern times. For ages up to 18.

Sept. 16, Bayview Branch, 4 p.m.

Adult Programs (selected)

Opium Sabbah World Music

Hip hop artist Opium Sabbah was raised listening to the rich, exotic music of India and North Africa.

Sept. 3, Western Addition Branch, 2 p.m.

Sept. 24, Bernal Heights Branch, 1:30 p.m.
For additional information about Middle Eastern culture and heritage, check out our reading list on the Library’s Website, sfpl.org, under Books and Materials, Read This! These programs about Middle Eastern Culture and many other related programs can be found at sfpl.org. All programs at the Library are free. For more information, please call (415) 557-4277.

Perloff has penned a lively and revealing narrative of her 20-plus years at the helm of A.C.T., and delivers a provocative and impassioned manifesto for the role of live theater in today’s technology-infused world.

“Beautiful Chaos is a tremendously engaging and entertaining narrative that offers readers an inside look at our home-grown, world-class theater company. It also reminds us of the amazing artistic treasures available to us in the Bay Area and the need to protect, cherish and champion our local arts community,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “We encourage the entire city to read Beautiful Chaos and join us for programs celebrating the 12th annual One City One Book program.”

“I am so enormously honored and delighted that Beautiful Chaos has been selected as the 2016 One City One Book,” said Perloff. “It was my hope in writing the book to stimulate conversation about the changing role of arts and culture in our city, to explore the journey for women in the arts, to consider the challenges of the kind of humanities-free education happening in so many universities today, and to celebrate the incredible immersive joy of experiencing live performance. I look forward to great conversations across San Francisco as we wrestle with the many issues raised in the book. I am so grateful to my wonderful publisher City Lights Press, a local treasure, for believing in this book and making it happen.”

Perloff’s personal and professional journey—her life as a woman in a male-dominated profession, as a wife and mother, a playwright, director, producer, arts advocate, and citizen in a city erupting with enormous change—is a compelling, entertaining story for anyone interested in how theater gets made. She offers a behind-the-scenes perspective, including her intimate working experiences with well-known actors, directors, and writers including Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Robert Wilson, David Strathairn, and Olympia Dukakis.

Whether reminiscing about her turbulent first years as a young woman taking over an insolvent theater in crisis and transforming it into a thriving, world-class performance space, or ruminating on the potential for its future, Perloff takes on critical questions about arts education, cultural literacy, gender disparity, leadership and power.

Visit sfpl.org/onecityonebook for more information about programs, book club discussion questions and more, and start reading the book now.

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THE GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA PARTNER TO CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL

Create Your Reading Adventure This Summer With San Francisco Library Staff and the Rangers of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Where else can you find fun, adventure, and amazing new worlds all for free? In a library book and a national park. San Francisco Library and the NPS have teamed up this summer to keep children and families reading, creating, and exploring all summer long.

The National Park Service (NPS) is marking its 100th birthday in 2016 and one of the primary partners for the Centennial year at GGNRA is the San Francisco Library System. In celebration of the wonders of the national parks, the SF Public Library is positioning its annual summer reading program, Summer Stride: Read, Create, Explore to ensure that youth and families spend time reading and learning as well as exploring national parks. Summer Stride kicks off May 7 at the Junior Ranger Jamboree at Crissy Field and will continue until August 13.

As part of this partnership, rangers from the GGNRA will be leading ranger talks at all 28 San Francisco Public Libraries this summer. In addition, patrons can join a park ranger on a free shuttle from nine neighborhood branch libraries to local national parks.

“The 100th anniversary of the National Park Service’s founding has been a great catalyst to form new partnerships and opportunities for introducing the next generation to the parks,” said Christine Lehnertz, Superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. “This partnership with the San Francisco Public Library is a fantastic way for kids and their families to get to know the national parks in their backyard. We are excited to invite patrons of the libraries to participate in special Centennial events throughout Golden Gate National Recreation Area.”

Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
At the San Francisco Public Library PresentsSafe to Touch

A Multi-media, Tactile Art Installation by the Artful Steps Program
of Stepping Stones Growth Center

San Francisco, CA- At a typical art gallery, guests are discouraged from standing too close to the artwork, much less touching it! The opposite is true of Artful Steps’ new, innovative series, “Safe to Touch”. This installation challenges how art can be experienced, not only by sight, but by feel. We invite you to interact with the work tactilely; feeling the various sensations of touch. The sequence of the pieces in this installation were thoughtfully chosen based on diversity of feel rather than for complementary colors or subject matter. From the soft, wooly curves of felting to the hard, cool bumps of tile mosaics, each work delights in a unique way.

This show embraces the philosophy that art should be accessible and enjoyed by all regardless of ability/disability. We welcome all to experience the show and remember, it’s safe to touch!

The artwork is currently on display until June 24th at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street (at Grove) and is walking distance from the Civic Center BART Station. All programs at the library are free and supported by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

The Artful Steps Program at Stepping Stones Growth Center in San Leandro teaches multi-media art to persons with developmental disabilities. The primary goals of Artful Steps are to enable our students to expand their methods for self-expression, to enhance their self-esteem and independence, and to develop their artistic ability.

San Francisco joins in the national celebration of children, books and literature, Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros, on Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. at Parque Niños Unidos, 23rd and Folsom streets. Día is an initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds.

Rooted in a Latin American tradition, Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros is a child-centered event with the goals of promoting literacy and unifying families of all cultures. Children and families from around the Bay Area are invited to attend a free afternoon of fun, sun, dance, books, music and more.

San Francisco’s first Día took place in 1999 and each year since then, organizers volunteer their time and resources to promote literacy and unify families of all cultures through a community-based, child-centered event. This year’s Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros will include such activities as music, dance, free books giveaway, and other activities.

San Francisco Public Library joins community partners in hosting this event, including the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, First Book SF, Pulsing Word, Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, Raising A Reader National, and members of the SF Early Literacy Network. Día is sponsored by the Silicon Valley Community Fund and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

1 p.m., Teddy Bear Hip Hop with Destiny Arts

2 p.m., Maria Luna ¡Baila Conmigo!

3 p.m., Alphabet Rockers concert

DJ Eric Cuentos will spin tunes throughout the afternoon and Dra. Marisol will emcee the event. Free book giveaway to every child is provided by Reading Is Fundamental, First Book SF, and Tandem Partners in Early Learning. Additional activities will be lead by community partners, including the Bay Area Discovery Museum, CARECEN, Good Samaritan Family Resource, The New Wheel, Tree Frog Treks and others.

Current and past member participants:

ArtSpan, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Children’s Book Press, Crissy Field, Department of Children, Youth and their Families, First Book SF, First 5 San Francisco, Friends of the San, Francisco Public Library, Jumpstart San Francisco, KQED Education Network, Mayor’s Office of Community Development/Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, Mission Learning Center, Nuestros Niños/Childhood, Matters Radio Show, Office of Early Care and Education, Poetry Inside Out, Precita Eyes, Pulsing Word, Raising A Reader National, Reading Partners, Richmond District YMCA, San Francisco Children’s Art Center, SF Early Literacy Network, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco State University’s Jumpstart Program, San Francisco Friends School, SCRAP, Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, and University of San Francisco

About SFPL:

San Francisco Public Library was a proud winner of the 2009 Raul and Estela Mora Award in recognition of its outstanding decade of Día celebrations. The Library has been celebrating Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros since 1999 and recognizes the observance of Día as a commitment to honor children and home languages and culture; promote literacy in all languages; involve parents as valued members of the literacy team and promote library collections that reflect our plurality.

Twenty years have passed since the San Francisco Main Library first opened its doors to great acclaim on April 18, 1996, and that anniversary is being celebrated with more than 20 lively programs, events and exhibits.

Today, the Main is busier than ever, greeting more than 1.8 million visitors each year, and checking out close to two million items. The Main Library is open more than 3,000 hours a year.

Anniversary day on April 18 will feature music, refreshments, performances and more, starting at 12:30 p.m. on the Larkin Street steps of the Main Library at 100 Larkin Street. In honor of the original 1996 opening events, the anniversary celebration will feature a performance by BANDALOOP, a pioneer in vertical performance. Under the artistic direction of Amelia Rudolph, BANDALOOP re-imagines dance, activates public spaces, and inspires wonder and imagination. BANDALOOP has performed for sold out crowds at sites throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Additional Selected Events:

April 8: Library Treasure Hunt starts in the atrium of the Main Library at 12 p.m. Participants will explore undiscovered gems of knowledge and complete mini-challenges at six or more stops throughout the building.

April 12: The Matter of Black Lives will feature comedian and activist Sampson McCormick, poet Amanda Johnston, and social justice activist and popular culture scholar and writer Shawn Taylor, who will discuss their views on the current state of Black America. Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 6 p.m.

April 13: A distinguished panel of architects will discuss Twenty Years: A Renaissance of Library Architecture. Learn how architecture reflects the evolution of library services with Marsha Maytum, Mark Schatz, Cathy Simon, John King, and Charles Higueras. Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 6 p.m.

April 26 and 28: Save Your Stuff and Pass it On. Learn how to preserve your precious personal memories and archives. Books & Paper, April 26; Photos: April 28. Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Room, 6 p.m.

Selected Exhibitions:

Animal House: Anthropomorphic Selections from the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit and Humor. Have some fun with an exhibition showcasing animals behaving like humans in cartoons, comics and literature from artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. April 1 – May 31, Main Library, Skylight Gallery. (see also: http://sfpl.org/releases/)

Main Library at 20. Exhibition includes original blueprints, photographs, reports, press packets, and newspaper accounts from the planning, construction and opening of the Main. April 18 – June 30, Main Library, San Francisco History Center.